First-footing is the Scottish New Year's Eve and New Year's Day custom of visiting friends or neighbors after midnight, with the first visitor believed to influence the household's luck.
Traditionally, the first-foot carried symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, black bun or whisky. These items represented warmth, food, prosperity and hospitality. In some versions of the custom, a tall, dark-haired man was considered especially lucky as the first visitor, although modern practice is much less strict.
The custom is closely associated with Hogmanay, Scotland's New Year festival, but the two terms are not interchangeable. Hogmanay names the broader celebration; first-footing describes the visiting tradition within it.
Regional and family variations are common. Some households treat the moment of first entry as beginning immediately after midnight, while others continue the practice through New Year's Day. Modern celebrations may preserve the gift-giving symbolism without following every older superstition.